Some people say that America has a mass incarceration problem: Too many people are in prison. That’s only possible if one of two things is true: (1) Large numbers of incarcerated persons were wrongly convicted; (2) We are incarcerating people for frivolous reasons.

Regarding (1), human epistemic limitations will always result in some people being wrongly convicted of a crime they did not commit. However, given the safeguards of our judicial system (innocent until proven guilty, appeals process, etc.), this is bound to be a very small percentage of the incarcerated population.

Regarding (2), it’s not generally true that we are incarcerating people for frivolous reasons. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. These days, you have to commit some pretty serious crimes to get any prison time, and many serious crimes yield too little prison time. Felonies are bargained down to misdemeanors, and misdemeanors are dropped regularly.

Yes, it’s true that America has a high percentage of incarcerated persons compared to the general population. We need to have a serious national conversation about why that is and work to change it. That said, the solution is not to simply imprison fewer people. Right now, the problem is not that too many people are in prison, but rather that too few are in prison. If we have imprisoned “enough” people, then crime should be rare in this country. We all know that’s not true. Crime is surging all over the U.S. as governments lack the manpower and/or will to punish the criminals: The vast majority of criminals are not captured, and too many of those who are captured are released right back to the streets to commit more crime.

Reducing the prison population for the sake of reducing the prison population is a stupid and wicked idea. Reducing the prison population can only mean one thing: increasing the crime epidemic. But aren’t those who went to prison reformed? No. Three out of four people will be arrested again within five years of being released from prison.[1]

So choose what kind of society you want to live in: One in which the criminals are sequestered from the law-abiding citizens, or one in which the criminals ravage the law-abiding citizens with impunity because those in power want to commit cultural suicide for ideological reasons. If you want to live in a world with less crime, then we need to add more police officers, build more prisons, and give stiffer sentences to criminals, while at the same time working on the cultural problems that give rise to crime in the first place.

 

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[1]“Office of Justice Programs: Recidivism,” NIJ.gov; available from http://www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism/pages/welcome.aspx; Internet; accessed 03 June 2024.